The Truth of Nabbit
by KingCow336
Summary: For his whole life, he had been running. From those who hurt, from those who tried to help. Now, caught in a pen and forced to be cared for, it is time to find out what's beneath the mask. For him, for her, and for the whole Mushroom Kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

Run. He moved quickly through the dark woods, narrowly preventing himself from casting a shadow by the dim moonlight. Thankfully, the overgrown trees above meant he needed to use his speed only in small bursts. This was good: no need to tire himself before the job had even begun.

Based on the source, the tenants had left three days prior on a 'treasure expedition'. Luckily for him, this meant that all their prior finds were left unprotected. Even if they had an alarm of some kind, it was a good half hour journey to the small building.. It was on the very edge of the Mushroom Kingdom, nearby Dimble Woods, with only the caterpillar-like Wigglers and their miles of farmland as the closest neighbours. Easy as pie. Mmmm. Pie.

The only audible noise besides the dampened footfall as he ran was a light, warm breeze shaking the branches. Approaching the mushroom-shaped home, no marvel of architecture in these parts but it worked, he sniggered slightly internally. After this, he could take a break from it all for a while, and maybe hide out in another kingdom. Maybe even get his own house. With decent home protection. He hated copycats. Anyone wanting to get his stuff would need a new approach.

As he tiptoed up the small incline, he realised his fortune had reached new heights. The window was wide open. Carefully avoiding the perfectly pruned bonsai trees hanging from the windowsill, Nabbit tucked back the long, fluffy ears on his mask as far back as he could. He swung one leg through the opening, and ducked down to fit through, pulling his large brown sack behind him.

**XXXXXX**

It was a petty decision, one of no consequence whatsoever. The guys weren't even there to judge, and no-one was invited over. Yet, as she stared at the light pink pyjamas with the pugs on it, and the magenta nightgown with the kittens, she was finding it harder and harder to choose. In the end, she decided on the nightgown, mainly due to the ridiculous heatwave the Mushroom Kingdom had been experiencing.

As she began to make her way out of her room to brush her teeth, her eyes glanced at her violin. It didn't have a speck of dust nor sign of wear on it, despite the maker's print stating it to be several years old. An upcoming recital in Toad Town had meant Toadette couldn't join Captain Toad and the rest of the brigade on their latest trip, but she was okay with that. The shine of the lights on stage was a good substitute for the glimmer of a Power Star.

She passed by the Captain's room on her left hand side, wood floorboards creeping as she made her way down the hall. Turning into the bathroom, she squeezed light minty toothpaste onto her brush. It made a mark as it hit the floor, dropped from shock.

There had been a smash downstairs. Not loud, but in an empty house it didn't have to be.

The cracking noise sounded like a broken plate. Seconds later, there was another crash. In a moment she remembered the kitchen window was open. Another moment and she was a mouse making her way downstairs. One eye peeking through the banister, she saw a thing with long ears approaching their painting of Princess Peach. Where the safe was kept. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening, and the comically large sack made it exceptionally obvious.

Toadette needed to take this on solo. It wasn't like she could go for help, and the thought of a thief with their hard-earned gold made her gag. Furthermore, if they knew she was there… Routine kidnapping of the monarch had made her very wary. Considering her options, she noted the Super Pickaxe decoratively lining the wall. Not ever be used, except for emergencies. It was grabbed almost the second she'd recalled it.

Screaming bloody murder, she leapt over the end of the stairs, ran full force forward and swung.

**XXXXXX**

Ugh. Window open, but when his foot went down he became aware the sink was full… and directly beneath him. Typical really. Story of his life.

The brown fabric sack caught on something as he tugged it through the window opening. Pulling slightly harder, he was alerted to the death of one bonsai tree. Damn it. He hated being lumped in with vandals, and his reputation would remember that. Still, no point crying over cracked eggs. Or smashed pots.

He gazed around the room, able to take in the rough details. Peach painting. Practically principle Toad behaviour. As he dragged his empty sack towards the assumed safe, he took another quick look. Nothing too suspicious, except… wasn't there a pickaxe on that wall?

"GYAAAAAHH!" was the last thing he heard before a pink tornado swept him off his feet with a Super Pickaxe to the knee. A new experience, but entirely unpleasant, he pondered as his head took the paint off the wall and he entered into forced sleep.

**XXXXXX**

The intruder wasn't a threat anymore. If the unnatural position of their leg didn't confirm that, the paint flecks on the floor did. A breath of relief came with the removal of immediate danger. This soon morphed to worry, as she considered her opponent. Purple rabbit suit, with a creepy bandanna. Flicking the lights on, she knew whatever this creature was needed medical attention. She doubted it to be Bowser's doing: they always went in groups to give support, and no-one was helping this thing.

Her options were slim. She had no medical expertise bar basic CPR, and the Kingdom's emergency services were about as effective as cutting a steak with a butter knife. The Wigglers would probably attack it out of rage, its offence being home invasion. Fortunately, an idea came to her. She rapidly took a list off the fridge, and peered across the emergency contacts. Running to the small corner table in the sitting room, she dialled into the phone with urgency. Three beeps later, she heard a voice.

"Hello Toadette," a deep voice replied, "how are we this evening?"

"Oh Doctor Toadley, I… wait, how-"

"-did I know you were calling? Simple. I foresaw it." A short chuckle accompanied this statement,

"Doctor, you need to come right away, there's-" Toadette was cut off by a ringing at her door. Gently putting down the phone, she peered through the spyhole and opened the door to the familiar turbaned figure. Dr. Toadley put down his flip-phone and tucked it carefully in his pocket.

"I thought you might need my help tonight."


	2. Chapter 2

The warm orange walls of the room contrasted greatly with the purple rabbit figure currently being examined on its floor, but thankfully difference in colouration made them easy to spot now the lights were on. Toadettte considered the figure currently performing the investigation: Dr. Toadley. To say he was odd was like saying the sky was blue. He had been born to stand out, and from there made even more distinguishing life choices. Most born as psychics in the Kingdom could get by on that alone as a job. To decide then to chase medicine as a career was unprecedented to say the least. Still, she supposed, at least he was proficient in both his talents, as evidenced by the pills he'd administered to her would-be burglar.

The sharp squeal of the kettle brought her mind back to focus. Pouring out the black coffee – the Doctor informed her he didn't take sugar or milk – and pouring herself a glass of lemonade to soothe her nerves, she delivered the Doctor his coffee fix.

"Many thanks" Dr. Toadley answered as he rose up from the wood flooring, taking a sip with an unusually steady hand.

"So, um… how are they? Who are they, do you know? Are the police on their way?" Toadette questioned. She knew the Toad Town police didn't normally operate outside business hours (in their opinion it took full manpower to protect the Princess during the day; in her opinion they were cowardly, lazy and severely understaffed), but she internally hoped Dr. Toadley had tipped them off on his way over there tonight.

"Police? They are not on their way. This man's spine is not damaged, he should be taken to the soft bed in the Guest Room so I can administer a splint to his legs." Dr. Toadley informed Toadette as he laid down a rudimentary stretcher on the floor. She didn't even question him knowing where her Guest Room was at this point.

Slight irritation briefly dashed her face before she acknowledged the task before her. Watching him manoeuvre the intruder onto the stretcher, she took the poles at one end and lifted at the same time as her fellow Toad. Slightly taken aback by the weight of the 'patient', they hastily made their way to the fluffy quilt of the guest bed and lowered him slowly to avoid further damage. As soon as he had landed, Dr. Toadley took out a needle and injected it in the individual's arm, before undertaking the gruelling task of setting its bones back into position. Not being a fan of gore, she decided to leave him to his work and calm her nerves, the horrible cracking noise she heard as she left making her rainy day a bit stormier.

It wasn't like this was the worst she'd ever done to someone, there were more than enough of Bowser's Shy Guys to attest to that, but two things were different here. Firstly, they usually attacked her first. Technically this thief had been attacking her home, but it wasn't quite the same. Secondly, she normally didn't have to deal with the aftermath: why should she? But now that this was being taken care of in her own home, a bit of harsh reality had invaded her picturesque life. Making her way to the small settee which wasn't quite large enough to house the unexpected guest, she tried flicking through the channels on TV. Unfortunately, she saw only what she expected from 1 AM television: commercials and dead air, making her wonder why she even bothered.

Hopefully by morning she'd see a group of Police Toads, in spite of their ineptitude, carrying the injured party down to a prison ambulance. If she was lucky the hearing would be short, and she'd only need to give her testimony and be done with it. The only upside to the charade of monarchy misdeeds nowadays was that hopefully her name wouldn't be run through the papers.

It took another 27 minutes of dead air and quiet contemplation before Dr. Toadley emerged from her Guest Bedroom. Making his way to the tiled floor (which was the only distinguishing factor in the open layout room of where the kitchen ended and the living room began), he filled the kettle and set it to boil. Toadette broke the silence.

"So… how are… they?" she asked, still not even certain of the gender of the weird rabbit thing that had ruined her evening.

"Will he recover? Yes. Is the injury treatable? Very. Will there be lasting damage? No." replied the Doctor, certain in his convictions.

"Well, that's good to hear." Toadette hesitantly put out there. She decided to push him a bit more on his latent abilities. Psychics only had vague notions of the future, she knew. They could tell places, names, and objects in an instant, but events were more like a silhouette, with a defined shape but not much detail. Her tired anger pushed her towards questioning him however.

"When will the police get here? I'm very tired and I can't stay up much longer." she told the Doctor.

"Will you be left waiting by police? Yes. The Princess was kidnapped earlier this evening by someone decidedly not Bowser, and all eight of the Toad Guard are out investigating. When will they recover her? No less than two weeks, I believe," Toadette was told by Dr. Toadley with a monotone absolution.

"Two weeks! I don't want that guy in my house for another two seconds!" Toadette screeched, infuriated by the unfairness of it all. After pacing a few steps back and forth, she turned to Toadley once more.

"When can you move him to the hospital Doctor?" she asked, hoping that this inconvenience might be somewhat reduced.

"Toadette, you know the hospital can't accept anyone who was injured during a criminal case. Is it unfortunate in this case? Yes. Can I change hospital policy to help? No." she was informed by Dr. Toadley as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

"Then what am I meant to do!?" asked Toadette like jet plane on a collision course with a volcano. She was half tempted to stick her head in a couch cushion and scream her heart out with frustration.

"I'm going to give you my advice, based on both of my professions. The man in the other room should recover nicely if he stays in bed and takes one of these pills," he explained while shaking a pill bottle, "twice daily for the next three weeks. During that time, the cast he is in should prevent him from even attempting to move from that location. Based on what I can foresee," he paused to take a sip, as if briefly considering something, then continued, "I would recommend that you take care of the man in the next room until his recovery, whereupon you are free to part ways if you wish. Is it an odd solution? Yes. Is it the best course of action? From what I can tell, definitely."

Toadette stewed this in her mind for a few seconds, letting the idea fully sink in before the volcano erupted.

"You expect me to WHAT?! To the freak who just tried ROB MY HOUSE! What is wrong with you!?" she screamed, the pressure of all of this finally coming to a release. Dr. Toadley seemed unfazed by her words.

"Why don't you take care of him then?" Toadette continued.

"I can be out of my single-room apartment for weeks at a time. Not to mention how little space I have or how many other more seriously ill patients I have to attend to. If you have a better suggested course of action, then please do let me know. Trust me when I say that if I thought you were in any danger, I wouldn't be pushing this." The Doctor reassured her. The tornado in front of him slowed down to an icy breeze, then retorted.

"Two weeks. I'll take care of him for two weeks, and then he is going to Toad Town Jail if I have to haul him there myself. Deal?" she said, the frost nearly visible on her lips.

"Deal. His painkillers should wear off by 10 o'clock in the morning, I recommend you get some sleep. Captain Toad keeps the Guest Room key hidden in the bonsai plant, if that would make you feel more secure. I cast a hospital standard self-cleaning charm on himself, his clothes and his wounds, so there shouldn't be any unpleasant bathroom experiences." Dr. Toadley told her as he made his way towards the front door, leaving his coffee mug on the counter along the way. "Oh, and Toadette?"

"Yes Doctor?" the understandably fed-up Toad asked feebly.

"His name is Nabbit."

And with that, Dr. Toadley left Toadette with a bottle of pills and a rabbit-freak with a broken leg in her spare bed. Taking the key from its broken hiding pot and locking the door to the rooom Nabbit was in, she made her way upstairs. Toadette threw herself into bed, desparate for some shut-eye and hoping she'd wake up from this nightmare in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Pain. Nabbit awoke to considerable pain. The kind which, while strong, was still clearly being numbed. He was on painkillers. He couldn't feel his leg. Not a great scenario for first thing in the morning. A pale white ceiling greeted him as he opened his eyes. This bed was soft. Since when did he sleep in a bed? After an attempt to move sent him into stronger pain, he stopped trying. He could rotate his head side to side, but that was about all. On one side lay a mushroom-lamp on top of a small mahogany bedside locker, a matching wardrobe, a small white wooden chair with a spotted cushion, and a photo of a small group of toads. Charming. On the other side he saw a small window looking out into a woods, and a bonsai tree cut into a star. Bonsai tree. Bonsai.

If not for the pain he would have shot up. It was all coming back now, like a boomerang covered in cow dung. He had been caught. He had been hit. He had been knocked unconscious. And now he was trapped. How embarrassing. How risky, now he was stuck, to escape. The area surrounding his unfeeling leg was killing him. He was badly injured. What now?

There wasn't much he could do. Right now, he needed to wait, and see why he wasn't in the Toadtown Jail's hospital. A cold sweat went through him as he considered his captor might have a more personal revenge planned. A groan went through his stomach. That wasn't helping either; energy was necessary for escape.

There was a knock at the door, followed by someone talking to themself. The door stood at the end of the bed, out of his view. He'd have to wait til' whoever it was approached him to talk. It was unlikely they were in a talking mood, he contemplated.

A moment later, a pink toad with white spots and pony tails approached on the bedside locker side, holding a small bowl of soup. Powder soup, most definitely. She placed the bowl on locker, and pulled up the chair. Seating herself down with a face that screamed bloody murder, she noticed his head turned her way and begun to talk.

"Good morning, I guess"

**XXXXXX**

_beep beep beep beep beep beep_

Toadette smacked the alarm with an alarming amount of force as she rolled her way out of the bed, flinging her cover to one side as she did so. She'd forgotten to turn it off last night, and more sleep was badly needed after how late she'd gone to bed. Unfortunately, she quickly realised that she was awake in the way that was very hard to go back to sleep from without considerable effort, and the thought of lying in bed trying to make herself sleep sounded like an exercise in futility.

Making her way downstairs towards the living area, she turned on the kettle, poured out some cereal and went to sit on the settee. Flicking through the channels, she decided to put on the morning news. The news toad appeared to be in a state of mild panic, which meant business as usual.

"-and our main headline for this morning: Princess Peach has been kidnapped while on her vacation to Pi'illo Island. A mysterious being known as 'Antasma' is believed to be the culprit. Bowser's involvement status in this scheme is currently unknown. Toad Town police has set off on an expedition to the island in an attempt to aid the Mario brothers, who are-"

"Looks like Dr. Toadley was right on the money" murmured Toadette to herself as she took in another scoop of cereal. The kettle stopped squealing; it was time for her tea. As she made her way over to the kitchen area, she gave a side glance over to the guest bedroom. The key was hanging out of it, still locked. Toadete considered that her unwanted guest, 'Nabbit', would probably be in need of food. She half considered making him wait for it, but decided against it; there as no need to be cruel, and it would delay his recovery. As the water splashed onto the teabag, Toadette decided upon the packet of carrot and broccoli soup as the right dish for the creature. It was both nutritious and completely lacking in flavour, while still thematically appropriate.

One cup of tea later, and soup in hand, she made her way towards room, swivelling the key open. Toadette stopped for a moment, and steeled herself. This thing was at her complete mercy, almost, and yet that didn't make her feel any more safe approaching. Softly, she tapped at the door, before stopping.

"This is your house, why the are you knocking!" she indignantly murmured to herself under her breath. Well, there was no going back now. After working up her nerves, she opened the door and got her first good luck at the thing.

The leg was raised, held up by a small pole, and wrapped in a sling and bandage, and thankfully no longer at the strange angle the Super Pickaxe had bent at. Above that was a rotund figure, almost egg-like in shape, covered in purple and white from head to toe. On his face lay an absurd mask, clearly enchanted like a Shy Guy's to match their expression underneath, to an extent. The mouth was covered with a toothy bandanna, and two long fluffy felt ears were attached to the head. After a moment staring she realised the pun in this thing's name "Nabbit" and groaned internally. Toadette was surprised to see Dr. Toadley hadn't removed any clothing on the bandaged leg – wasn't that usual procedure? – but otherwise all seemed as it should.

Making her way towards the locker, she peered out at the gorgeous morning through the window on the opposite side of the bed. After placing the bowl on the locker, she pulled up a chair, and noticed her unwanted captive was awake. Good, there wouldn't be a need to drag this out. Now, how to start this conversation? Two weeks was a long time. She might as well try to keep it civil and polite, as best she can.

"Good morning, I guess"

**XXXXXX**

"Why'm I still here?" was the first question out of Nabbit's mouth, though with the still wearing off anaesthetic it sounded like "Wyamah stillear?". It was important to establish the facts of his capture before he could make an exit.

"Peach has been kidnapped, and the Toadtown Police are out of the picture for the next few weeks," the toad explained in a voice trying far to hard to be calm. "There's nowhere to put you in the meantime, so you're stuck here til you recover enough to go to jail. My name's Toadette, by the way. I wasn't sure if you knew that when you tried to rob me."

"Name's Nabbit" he responded, taking in as much as he could. Toadette. Nice name, pretty name. No police. Escape relatively easy, once his leg was recovered. Speaking of...

"How long with leg?" Nabbit put out there. While she was giving info, he was taking all he could get.

"The doctor guaranteed no more than two weeks, so we'll only need to put up with each other til' then," Toadette retorted, still in a passive aggressive monotone. "I brought you soup. Can you eat it on our own?"

"Pass bowl." Nabbit said as courteously as a half-drugged person could. The toad picked up the bowl and passed it into his hands. Despite not being able to sit up, he could use the spoon while laying to one side. Passing the hot soup through his bandanna, he took a sip. Tasted cheap. A small gasp emanated the room, before Toadette quickly returned to her forced calm.

"Magic bandanna, I see. Where'd you take that from?"

"Bought it. Custom made. Very Expensive." responded Nabbit, in between spoonfuls of soup. It was better than nothin', he contemplated. Barely.

"And how exactly did you pay for it?" Toadette enquired accusingly, with a smug grin that implied it to be a rhetorical question. Nabbit answered anyway.

"With stuff I stole." the nonchalant bedridden thief replied. She gave a snort of indignance, he couldn't care less.

Once the soup bowl was empty, Toadette took it and the spoon and headed out of the room, returning a few minutes later with a pill bottle, a glass of water and a book. Once again, despite the aggression she seemed quite pleased with herself.

"Here's your medicine, Dr. Toadley instructed it it to be taken three times daily with water." She popped open the child safety cap and took on of the pills out, passing it and the glass of water into his hand. He drank down the pill as best he could in his compromised position. Toadette held the cover of the book to his bed as she took the glass back from him.

"I realised it may get boring, being stuck in here for the next two weeks. So, I decided to bring you a little gift to help pass the time." Toadette told Nabbit, again with the smug smile. Pretty nice, considering the circumstances. Unfortunately...

"I can't read."

The smile faded, and the storm seemed to calm.

**XXXXXX**

"What do you mean you can't read?" Toadette asked pensively. The book she had picked wasn't been grade-A reading material (Princess Peach's Guide to Etiquette), but she had hoped the guide might at least be distracting enough to prevent Nabbit from trying to escape (and injuring himself further, and having to stay here longer). This possibility had never even crossed her mind.

"Can't read. Never got chance." the thief replied. It was strange how expressive the eyes were, despite it being covered in a mask and his bandanna covered his mouth. The mask must be enchanted, like a Shy-Guy's, to reflect its wearers expression, she thought. The only expression she could see in his eyes right now were a very mild regret.

"You... never got the chance?" Toadette asked. The trapped intruder looked away, in attempt to hide the shame the nonetheless was plastered on his face. The few words he had been saying, in his rushed manner of speech, came to a silence. She could tell he wouldn't tell her any more, not now at least.

"I guess I'll leave you be then. Sorry about that." she cut into the silence, an excuse to escape the awkward situation. Locking the door behind her, she sat back down on the sofa, and then Toadette reflected for while.

There were very few jobs a person could get in the Mushroom Kingdom without basic literacy, unless you counted Bowser's Army, which she didn't. With the abundance of technology and magic available, there wasn't a huge call for unpaid labour. Was he from Bowser's Kingdom? The gaudy outfit suggested him a deserter if he was; they tended to discourage individual outfits in the lower ranks, and those who left often tried to distinguish themselves as an act of rebellion.

How long would the thief go to prison for? Probably three to five years, minimum. Provided he didn't escape... so in reality, a week. No-one would ever teach him how to read, so most likely he would continue as a thief until the end of his days. Making others miserable. Toadette couldn't stand for that.

A plan of action formed itself in her mind, and within three minutes she had made her way up to the attic to put it into motion.


End file.
